So I had this barber back in Philly where I was born and raised. “Muslim Bob” is what I called him. He was the coolest old school guy on South Street in Center City Philadelphia as I used to go to his shop there just to hear the old school stories about the lives of black entertainment in the City of Brotherly Love.

Sherman Hemsley was one of his topics.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVLZi7kqYQg[/youtube]

Back in the day there were these spots old school African Americans used to hang out. they were called speakeasies. Yeah, speakeasies where black folks used to party and drink. Listen to great music. None of these places had what are called liquor licenses, provided by the state to serve alcohol legally.

Yeah it was all undercover and the cops knew all about speakeasies.

Sherman Hemsley got his start at speakeasies. In Philly.

Most know him from The Jeffersons, the Norman Lear produced comedy on CBS. Most in Philly saw him as a performer at clubs in Phlly before he became George Jefferson which was his classic role.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drvgUAymSPM[/youtube]

Sherman Hemsley died at the age of 74 today in El Paso, Texas. The classic George Jefferson who got a spinoff show from All in the Family will leave us with a ton of memories. Today I’ve received a lot of emails about his work on The Jeffersons.